PORT OF GREENOCK

Scottish freight forwarder and shipping agent KC Group Shipping has set up a container shipping service between China and Scotland, the company’s first direct China-Scotland service in history, to help shippers avoid any congestion in the port of Rotterdam.

The Glasgow company has chartered six 1600 TEU container ships for the new China Xpress. The maiden trip from Ningbo harbour is due to arrive in Greenock harbour, near Glasgow, in mid-August, according to an article in the Scottish newspaper The Herald.

By avoiding possible congestion and unpredictable delays in Rotterdam from now on, The Herald writes, the duration of transport between China and Scotland can be shortened from 60 to 33 days. In addition to calls in Ningbo and Greenock, the service also has calls in Shenzhen and Liverpool.

David Milne, managing director of KC Group Shipping, calls the service “one of the most significant developments in Britain in many years, and in particular for the Scottish shipping industry”. Speaking to The Herald, he expects the service to not only facilitate imports of Chinese cargo, but also “boost” sales of Scottish foodstuffs in the Asian market, “including many prestigious Scotch whiskey brands.” and will also promote Scottish exports of machinery and pipelines for the oil and gas industry.

The ships that are to perform the service are the ‘Allseas Amo’, ‘Allseas Pioneer’, ‘San Alfonso’, ‘BBC Finland’, ‘Baltic Harmony’ and ‘Pacific Victor’.